Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is opening the weekend with the big announcement that three famous soccer players are going to be playable operators soon. An image was posted on the official Call of Duty Twitter account with the players' names and numbers on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 gear.
The three players that are going to be appearing as operators are Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, and Neymar. While this might seem strange for a military themed first-person shooter, Call of Duty has had celebrities and pop culture characters appear as operators before, with famous rapper Snoop Dogg being one.
The image posted on the official Call of Duty Twitter account showed the names of Messi, Pogba, and Neymar, and both Pogba and Neymar tweeted about on their accounts as well. There has not been an announced release date for the new operators, nor has there been any news revealed about how to unlock the soccer star operators. There is no doubt that the release date and unlock methods will be posted on Call of Duty social media. In the past, crossover bundles like the Terminator bundles for Call of Duty: Warzone have been released in the in-game shop and were purchasable with COD points.
Messi, Pogba, and Neymar have a lot of fans, so this crossover with them makes a lot of sense. With the FIFA World Cup starting in late November, it's also a great way to boost attention for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and potentially get some soccer fans to buy the game and get engaged with it that otherwise wouldn't give it a try.
This can also give Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Twitch streamers some new and engaging content to work with, which is a win for the streamers and for Activision Blizzard. More eyes on the Twitch streamers playing Call of Duty means more people interested in the game and more people playing the game and buying cosmetics. After all, if someone sees their favorite streamer using the new Messi operator, there's a good chance they're going to go ahead and buy it as well.
Some players might have a more hardcore purist approach to the game, of course. Those players might prefer to keep the game true to its military theme and not include celebrities like Snoop Dogg or Lionel Messi, but others will definitely enjoy this new crossover and get the operators as soon as possible.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.